Portable trousers press and stretcher.



A. B. ORUIGKSHANK. PORTABLE TROUSERS PRESS AND STRBTOHER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I 1913.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914-,

2 SHEETSSHEBT 1.

A. B. CRUIOKSHANK.

PORTABLE TROUSERS PRESS AND STRETGHER.

APPLICATION FILED Mu 1, 191a.

1,106,550. Patented Aug.11,191&

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Fi%a.

, ARTHUR B. GRUICKSI-IANK, or LONDON, ENGLAND.

' PORTABLE TROUSERS PRESS AND STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

Application filed May 1, 1913. Serial No. 764,955.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR B. CRUIK- SHANK, a citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and resident of Chancery Lane Safe Deposit, Chancery Lane, London,England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Port able Trousers Presses and Stretchers, of

which the following is a specification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to wvhich it appertains to make and use the same. i j

It has been proposed to use lengthwise slats and spring clips and also wide lengthwise boards and spring clips for pressing and stretching trousers, but their use is not satisfactory, as with these devices trousers can only be slightly stretched at their edges and little, if any, stretching can be done in the central part of the trousers between vthe edges and, moreover, the widelengthwise boards are by no means portable.

In my invention by the use of cross slats in conjunction with lengthwise slats pairs of slats can be held apart and besides press ing and creasing the trousers the whole width of the trousers canbe well stretched;

cross slats can be made to grip the ends of trousers much better than the ends of lengthwise slats or boards can be made to do so as much greater local pressure can be obtained with cross slats, consequently when the trousers are stretched or pulled tight by hand the tension can be maintained.

By the special construction which I emas springclips, or clamps, but preferably the spring cllps ofspecial construction hereinafter described which will not slip.

My portableitrousers press and stretcher comprises four pairs of slats, two pairs being lengthwise orside slats and two pairs being cross "slats and means, preferably spring clips, and by preferencethe spring clips hereinafter described, for holding each pair of slats together and pressing on the trons-- ers, both legs of a pair of trousers being pressed at the same time.

' ng: apart.

By preference the ends of-the cross slats cross the ends of the lengthwise slats and preferably project beyond them, when in position on the trousers, the ends of the lengthwise slats butting up against and pressing against the sides of the cross slats, in this manner. the lengthwise slats hold the cross slats apart and act as struts so that the trousers can be straightened and stretched, when in the press, by slightly pulling their ends through the cross slats, the spring clips yielding sufiiciently for this purpose and the tension put on the trousers is thus maintained and the cross slats by their pressure on the trousers serve to keep the lengthwise slats apart, or the lengthwise slats might cross. the ends of one or both pairs of the cross slats by making slight recesses in the lengthwise slats, near their ends, to takethe ends of the cross slats; in

this case long spring clips passing over the lengthwise slats might be used to hold the cross slats together. 1 i i By preference I construct the ends of one cross slat of the upper pair of cross slats with pins or projections and the ends of the other cross slatof the same pair with holes or recesses to take the said pins or projections so that a pair of slats can be held together without any possibility of their members shifting eithersidewise or length wise, andthe press can be hung up with the trousers in it, without any fear of its comstruction for the lower pair of cross slats.

I preferably use spring clips (say ten) of the kind constructed with one arm longer than the other, the end of the longer arm being so bent as to prevent it from slipping backward when the bent end is passed over the inner edge of a slat, or I may usespring clips constructed with a hole or recess in one or both of their arms and provide the slats with pins or projections to take theholes .or recesses in the spring clips, or I may construct the springclips with a pin or projection :(projecting. inwardly) on one or both of their arms and provide the slats withholes. or recesses to take the said pins or projections on the spring clips.

, I preferably:furnishthepress with means for hanging it up, such as a loop or ring which may be conveniently attaohedto one of the upper cross slats by means of a screw 7 eye.

I may alsouse the same con- My portable trousers press and stretcher is very light and packs in a small compass when not in use andit can/be hung up any- TT "Will-'n0w describe my reference to the'accompanylng drawings 1n where without the least danger of its coming apart or of any of the springs. getting adrift, and trousers can be put in the press or; taken out ofit very quickly and it is inexpenslve, 1t occupies a] very small space when not in use and, takes trousers of any" wi dth.

invention with Figure I illustrates a trousers press and stretcher embodying the invention; Fig. 2

illustrates a perspective view showing two of the clamping slats in detached relation to eachother; Fig. 3 illustrates a diagrammati c view illustrating a modification; Fig. 4 illustrates a detail view of a modification showing the clamp'for' retaining the modified construction in place; Fig. 5 illustrates a view in elevation of a clamp; Fig. 6 illus-j trate's aside elevation of a clamp apoli'ed to fragments'of sl ats,-thesa1ne embo ying a i fu-rther"modificati011; Fig. 7 illustrates a clamp in elevation and plan to be used in connection'with a pin shown applied to the slat; and Fig. 8 illustrates a perspective View of the form shown in Fig. '7'.

Fig. 1 shows a press and stretcher applied to a pair of trousersand illustrates an exp larged'view is'shown in Fig. I 45 ample of -how the sets of slats 'keep each other apart and thereby maintain any stretch put into the trousers when the .de-

vice is placed and held thereon,- the slats at theisarnetime exercising the requisite pres sure. In this example the two pairs of cross slats at the top and-bottomformone set and are lettered a while thetwo'pairs of length- I with. two pinsfe while the other slatof the samepair has holesformed' in it to receive the 'pins', an enlarged vlew of th1s pair of slats isshown in'Fig. Q'Wh'ere the holesarc lettered' f.

When the press and stretcher in posifltion' upon the trousers it can, with the trousers in-it, be hung upin any convenient place by means of the loop and screw eyed.

Itlwill be observedlthat the ends of the slats b fit close up to the sides of the crossslats a ,a and thereby keep the two pairs of cross t, slats apart, while the cross slats by means of their hold 'upon the trousersukeep them stretched sidewardly -and thereby keep the two pairs of lengthwise slats apart.

7 Fig. '3 shows diagrammatically a modificae tion in Whichthe lower pairjof the cross slats, which are. here lettered at have their ends shaped to fit recesses'inthe sides of the lengthwise slats b; Fig. 4 being anien larged view of the meeting'of the cross slats A i and'the lengthwise slats shown in Fig. 3 and illustrates how a spring clip of can be placed over the lengthwise slats to :engage pins 9' onthe'cross slats, the said pins serving the keep the placement F 6 s provided with 1 pins- 71, 'a'da 'atedto take into holes in theslats to Which-it isfappliedr This example shows riveti likepins but any suitable projection jsuch fas pieces stamped" or pressed out of theclipitself, will answer the purpose. Figs. 7 and 8 show aclipt c? lik'ethat shown in Figid butfurnished withholes adapted to fit over projections i on-the'slat iIt will beobv'ious that all'th'e clips showna're" provided with means 'to 'preventfdis placement when fitted to-the slats and while any means for that endmaybeused I generally prefer to use a clip of the'type shown; in Fig. 5 which isshaped to be readilyplacedovera pair of slats and is not likely clip from accidental dishows a Inodi lied form-ofa clip I to be accidentally displaced-therefrom because of its projecting bent end; It willbe seen from 11" above thatflas soon as the clips or other clamping devices are removed from the slats, the latter are -qu1tefree becausetheyfareuln no way description held together i and the" invention *m'ust thereforenot be confused with that form: off

trousers press-"and stretcher which two open frames. are'formed of slatsscrewed or cottered together bet-weenwhich frames the 3 trousers are pressed.

What I claim and desiretosecure U tersPatent ism- 4 r 7 Al trousers press and. stretcher comprismg pairs of slats adapted for eng'agingmthe edges "and" the top andiibottom portions of trousers, clips for holding: the pairs-otslats in clamped-relation to the trousers, the said i p slats at the sides of thetrousersfhaving, their ends abutting the sides got the slats near. the

vends'of the trousersi:

HENRY FAiniano'rrren. -11

mines of this-patent niay be obtained for five cents each, hy -eddressing the Cemmissioiier of latent s 

